president the right to do so not evil. republicans holding the debt ceiling hostage wrong. democrats doing the same thing, not wrong. not close. you can't say republicans aren't reading the will of the people in election when the people kept them in charge of the house in the same election. election have consequences, of course. perhaps hiking taxes on the rich is up with of them. but that does not mean we don't do a lick about our debt. not getting a handle on spending wasn't one of them. hearing only one side don't make you a journalist but doing so to ignore the other side makes you charyl top. charlatan. go after the goose, go after the gander. what is a gander? do you know? be fair, balanceed. both sides. have at it. >> dana: hello, i'm dana perino with kimberly guilfoyle, bob beckel, eric bolling, andrea tantaros. it's 5:00 in new york city. this is "the five." ♪ ♪ >> dana: earlier today, president obama held the final press conference of his first term in the east room of the white house. the main attraction, our old friend the debt ceiling. they could default on the debt,

republicans to insist on spending cuts in order to raise the debt ceiling and key senate republican says mr. obama doesn't get it. >> you have a kid that keeps a credit card loaded and a person that would tear up the credit card but you look at the credit. republicans are willing to pay for past bill but this is about the future bill. the president misses the point here. >> reporter: today, house democratic whip steny hoyer said new revenue must accompany spending cuts. for day, the final passage is expected in the house in the next hour or so. bret? >> bret: mike, we will follow that on fox. thank you. ominous note now from one of the world's top credit agencies. fitch rating says the u.s. could lose the top credit rating if there is a delay in raising the debt limit. we'll find out with the senior political analyst brit hume thinks about this. good evening. >> good evening. the warning from the fitch rating agency today is certainly will become talking point for president and democrats who claim the republicans are using the debt ceiling recklessly as leverage for spending cuts. w

talking tough ahead of the next big fight with congress over the debt ceiling. >>> the president said vice president biden has presented him with a list of common sense steps to prevent gun violence. but the biggest question is how much of it the administration can actually get passed through the congress. >>> and watching last night's golden globes, one thing was clear to me, america once again feels good about itself. we've got a new sense of optimism, and the movies show it. >>> the latest attack on science by a republican member of the house science committee. what a strange name for that crowd. that's in the "sideshow" tonight. and this is "hardball," the place for politics. zzzquil™ sleep-aid. it's not for colds. it's not for pain. it's just for sleep. because sleep is a beautiful thing™. ♪ zzzquil™. the non-habit forming sleep-aid from the makers of nyquil®. nothing. are you stealing our daughter's school supplies and taking them to work? no, i was just looking for my stapler and my... this thing. i save money by using fedex ground and buy my own supplies. that's a gre

room of the white house. the main attraction, our old friend the debt ceiling. they could default on the debt, unless the debt ceiling is raised. republicans want the president to cut spending before they i gree on a deal. but the president at no time seem eager for compromise. listen. >> we have to stop lurking from crisis to crisis to crisis. when there is a clear pass that requires discipline, responsibility and compromise. >> dana: yet, he showed little willingness to do so. >> i'm willing to compromise and find common ground over how to reduce the deficit, america cannot afford another debate with this congress about whether or not they should pay the bills they have racked up. what i will not do is to have that negotiation with gun at the head of the people. >> dana: interesting choice of words to describe that. eric, you talked about not wanting the country to lurch from crisis to crisis. most americans would agree and want washington to fix fundamental problems. why do we have to have the debate every three months? >> eric: sure. start with the debt ceiling and how it came

cantore proposes a three-month deal on the debt ceiling. some democrats are calling it a trap. i'll ask dnc chairwoman debbie wasserman schultz what she thinks. it's do or die time for filibuster reform and democrats are about to drop the ball. >> nos,, sir, i will not yield. tonight, my message to senator harry reid. plus the american people are getting ripped off by a congress that just isn't working. congressman rick nolan was there is 30 years ago. he's back now and he can't believe the difference. he's wondering, are we getting paid for this? >>> is it really an admission of guilt if you don't show any remorse? >> it did not even feel wrong? >> no. it's scary. >> did you feel bad about it? >> no. even scarier. >> psychologist dr. jeffrey gardere on lance armstrong's bizarre performance last night. >> good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. republicans surrendered today in one of their biggest fights. president obama warned republicans about taking the debt ceiling hostage. it looks like they heard the message. >> the financial well-being of the american people

ceiling. >> now, the other congressionally imposed deadline coming up is the so-called debt ceiling, something most americans hadn't even heard of before two years ago. so i want to be clear about this. the debt ceiling is not a question of authorizing more spending. raising the debt ceiling does not authorize more spending. it simply allows the country to pay for spending that congress has already committed to. >> and of course republicans tried to trick americans into believing the debt ceiling was a blank check or magic credit card for the president to go spend whatever he wanted to spend. of course, the united states constitution gives the power to tax and spend to the congress, and the congress alone. our current deficit is the result of money congress has already borrowed. president obama explained to the american people today how republicans in congress are trying to avoid doing their actual jobs. >> these are bills that have already been racked up. and we need to pay them. so while i'm willing to compromise and find common ground over how to reduce our deficits, america cannot afford a

talking about the debt ceiling. versus spending cuts. chief congressional correspondent mike emanuel reports on the house g.o.p. winter retreat in virginia. >> at the house g.o.p. retreat in williamsberg, virginia, the leaders decided they will pass three-month temporary increase to give them time to finalize a budget. speaker boehner said before there is long-term debt limit increase a budget should be passed that cut spending. the house g.o.p. whip hinted at the strategy. >> our hope is to pass something early so the senate can take action as well. i wouldn't be jeopardizingor economy there. it shows it's a rational, put us on a better path. and i would hi the american public could support it and the senate as well. >> fox news poll reveals 83% think government spending is out of control. up five points from two years ago. 69% of those surveyed say the debt limit should only be raised after major cuts. aides to the number two senate republicans does not support giving president obama a blank check but told "houston chronicle" editorial board, "we will raise the debt ceiling. we are

set the record straight on the debt ceiling. >> now the other imposition is called the debt ceiling. something most americans had not heard of before two years ago. so i want to be clear about this. the debt ceiling is not a question of authorizing more spending. raising the debt ceiling does not authorize more spending. it simply allows the country to pay for spending that congress has already committed to. >> and of course republicans tried to trick americans into believing the debt ceiling was a blank check or magic credit card for the president to go spend whatever he wanted to spend. of course, the united states constitution gives the power to spend to congress. the result is the money congress has already borrowed. president obama explained to the american people in congress how they're trying to do their actual jobs. >> these are bills that are racked up. and we need to pay them. so while i'm we'illing to find compromise on how to pay our debts, americans should not be stopped from paying the bills we racked up. >> the country will be in a dire situation. president obama knows this. he

obama went on offense warning republicans not to play politics with the debt ceiling. here is some of what he had to say. >> raising the debt ceiling does not authorize more spending. it simply allows the country to pay for spending that congress has already committed to. if congressional republicans refuse to pay america's bills on time, social security checks and veterans' benefits will be delayed. we might not be able to pay our troops our honor our contracts with small business owners. markets could go haywire, interest rates would spike for anybody who borrows money, every home own we are a mortgage. it would be a self-inflicted wound on the economy. so to even entertain the idea of this happening, of the united states of america not paying its bills, is irresponsible. it's absurd. >> well, the president hass got to get past the debt ceiling in order to achieve his second term agenda but how does he do it when some republicans are threatening shutdown. chuck todd and howard fineman. chuck, you know, i get the sense i was listening to the late general schwarzkopf, the man shaping

congressional republicans over the debt ceiling and expressed support for new gun control measures. reaction from both sides coming just ahead. plus, lance armstrong with a change of heart, he says or something. now, we're told he has apologized, reports of tears and admission of some kind to oprah winfrey. we're got all the details. new study says more americans are working well past retirement. it says, i wonder why, but that is all ahead unless breaking news changes everything. >> first at 3:00 in new york city. president obama is warning that a political deadlock over the nation's debt ceiling could damage the u.s. economy and beyond. it's estimated without the deal the government could run out of money to pail its bills as early as mid-february. the president said the idea of refusing to raise the debt ceiling is irresponsible and absurd. >> republicans in congress have two choices here. they can act responsibly and pay america's bills are act irresponsibly and put america through another economic crisis. but they will not collect a ransom for not crashing the american economy

of his term and fights about raising the nation's debt ceiling and the effort to stop mass murderers in america. >> my point is to focus on what makes sense, what works. >> one month after the shooting at newtown it is time to come up with action. >> we to have answers. >> he will announce his specific plan within days. the possible gun proposals and could they actually become law? plus the lance armstrong interview. he's denied he doped for years. >> sick and tired of these allegations. they are absolutely untrue. >> the support gave him the boot. >> lance armstrong has no place in cycling. >> now and for the first time lance armstrong says he's opening up about what really happened. >>> and hundreds of people hunting giant snakes. >> the species of the day is ber mes python. >> i have a machete and side arm. >> man verses python in the florida everglades. >> breaking news with lance armstrong. first president obama still supports an assault weapons ban. he admits it may not make it through congress. the president head a news conference and said the ban is one idea he is c

expectations in check in terms of what they can do, specifically on the debt ceiling, for example. we just heard the house republicans are going to try to negotiate a short-term debt ceiling deal so they can try to go for a grand bargain. second-term presidencies have just been spent and filled with misspent political capital that has just eoverreach in terms of presidents looking for a legacy and overspending their political capital. that's the risk president obama -- >> interesting in this cnn poll that just come out, how is president obama handling his job as president, approve 53%, disapprove 42%. but when they are asked how is the countryheaded, right direction 35%, wrong direction, 57%. they approve of the president but think he's going completely in the wrong direction. he's a lucky boy, many would argue, that he's gotten a second term, given the state of the economy, given the fact that most americans think the country is going in the wrong direction. he's been given that lucky second chance. and he campaigned well. you have to give him that. what are his challenges in the second t

closer to maxing out on a credit card. some lawmakers have a plan to fix that whole debt ceiling problem for good. plus folks in the deep south dealing with unusuallynter weat. first alert forecasters say get ready for round two. that's coming up as we reach the bottom of the hour and the top of the news. two minutes away. careful, pringles are bursting with flavor. ♪ pringles... bursting with flavor. >> bill: california man got more than he bargained for when he bought an old camera at cluttered antique store. the french stereo scope pick camera from 1901 cost him only $100. it turned out it contained historic photos from the first world war. they show war torn france including the remains of an airplane and men in uniform posing what appears to be a bomb. >> it was incredible to me that developed images were in the camera but now that i think about it, the serendipity of it and the fact that i saw that camera as i first walked in. >> he says he is going to make prints of the images and eventually sell them. i'm bill hemmer in tonight for shepard smith. this is the fox report. some de

washington journal says president obama escalates the fight on the w economy. is the debt ceiling negotiable? your thoughts? send us a tweet or post your comment on facebook. you can also send us an e-mail. president obama held his last official news conference of the first term yesterday in the east room of the white house. here's what he had to say on the debt ceiling debate. [video clip] >> republicans and congress have two choices. they can act responsibly and pay america's bills or they can act irresponsibly and put america through another economic crisis. but they will not collect ransomed in exchange for not crashing the american economy. the financial well-being of the american people well-being is not a leverage to be used. the full faith and credit of the united states is not a bargaining chip. they had better choose quickly, because time is running short. the last time republicans in congress even flirted with this idea, r. triple-a credit rating was downgraded for the first time in our mystery, our businesses created the few jobs in any month in nearly the past three years, and t

know that he's going to start off talking about the debt ceiling. he'll call for republicans to raise it without a fight. but several gop members have already said the debt ceiling is going to be where they draw a line in the sand. >>> check out the first page of politico this morning. double trouble. house gop, eyes default, shutdown. and it talks about the very real possibility that house republican members want to see the government shut down or default if they don't get the cuts they want. >>> let me bring in "times" deputy bureau chief ed o'keefe. good morning to both of you. this is all just breaking now, but the president has said and he said it consistently. he's not negotiating over the debt ceiling. michael, is this more of what we're going to hear from him today? is he going to lay the groundwork for the battle ahead? >> i think so. to some degree i think what's happening is a game of chicken unfortunately. i know the financial markets hate it. and it kind of turns your stomach a little bit. but obama has said we're absolutely not negotiating over the weekend a signif

. >> megyn: thanks, trace. and a push to completely eliminate the debt ceiling once and for all effectively eliminating any legal checks on federal spending. up next, stu varney, what this could mean and why a whole new class of taxes is also now getting some buzz. and new controversy over reports that federal agents waited to arrest an illegal immigrant and a sex offender who worked for this powerful democratic senator, senator menendez, you saw in that picture there. what, what really went on? why was this done? an early morning rescue puts a whole new meaning on another brick in the wall. as firefighters-- did you watch this on america's news room with bill and martha? firefighters worked hours to free a woman who got stuck in a tight spot, how it happened. ♪ ♪ caught between a rock and a hard place ♪ bayer aspirin was the first thing the emts gave me. now, i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story. before you begin an aspirin regimen. music: "make someone happy" music: "make

limit, the debt ceiling. that's in just about an hour and a half. when it happens, we'll bring it to you live. >>> the 20 million people of beijing, china, are enduring a fourth day of choking, hazardous air pollution. reports of respiratory problems and mask sales have sky rocketed. schoolchildren aren't able to play outdoors. many say it's worse than four years ago, while the officials in china claim the air quality has improved. >>> back here at home, water levels of the great lakes are expected to break the all time low sometime in the next few months. lake michigan and lake huron fell to record low levels in december. cargo ships are being forced to lighten their loads, and some harbors have already closed. >>> after three months of gas prices going down, they're now working their way back up. the lundberg survey saw the average price of a gallon of regular is $3.32. that's up more than 6 cents from three weeks earlier. >>> a couple of new american rides can now be called best in show. this morning at the north american international auto show, the cadillac ats was named car

republican lawmaker who says there are three events coming that will coalesce. debt ceiling discussion, debt ceiling and the fact that the federal government will run out of money at the end of march. >> all those bring a confluence of an opportunity to drive a debate and drive changes that get us towards long-term prosperity and get us off of this notion that we can just continue to borrow and spend. >> reporter: it is clear most republicans want there to be spending cuts as part of these fiscal matters as they work on long-term extensions or solving these problems long term. jenna. jenna: mike, if we're hearing this, then the white house is probably hearing this as well. any reaction from the white house about potentially this plan from republicans? report or the jenna, --. >> reporter: jenna white house officials are saying if congress doesn't want to raise the debt ceiling they should authority rise president obama to do it himself. they should extend it so it doesn't cause concern for the economy and global markets. >> longstanding tradition for the congress to raise the debt ceil

announcing a new plan to eliminate the debt ceiling, claiming the gop is exploiting the issue for political gain. doug mckelway is live in washington with more on the democratic plan and the road ahead. hi, doug. >> reporter: hi, jenna. this democratic plan in a nutshell would basically do away with the statute that calls for the debt ceiling in the first place, allowing spending in effect to go up and up and up without the artificial cap that the debt ceiling is indeed. democrats are explaining this in a press conference right now as we speak, so we'll be learning a lot more about it as the day progresses. republicans obviously deeply opposed to this thing, fearful that democrats will indeed use it to allow spending to go up and up. here is senator john barrasso speaking on fox news this morning. >> we have a spending problem in this country. people all across the country know it. they know it in wyoming. families have to balance their budget every year. many states do. we do in wyoming. it is time for the senate and the house and the president to get serious about limiting our spending an

debt seal ceiling takes a new turn. can the president make an end run around congress? some lawmakers saying it should be an option. we'll talk with former governor, haley barbour. confirmation clash. republican senator lindsay graham vows to hold up john brennan's confirmation to the cia until we get inching on the attacks in benghazi. and the national cathedral says yes to same-sex marriage, receiving cheers and jeers. we will have a fair and balanced debate. america's news headquarters from the nation's capitol starts right now. president obama's second term hasn't started officially, but the agenda and the cabinet are taking shape. so are some of the clashes over the president's nominations. jennifer griffin has more on the fights ahead. >> reporter: first, there will be the confirmation battles, many of which seem like they will be bruising. none more than the hearing before the senate armed services committee over the new defense secretary, chuck hagel. the hearings could start as early as this week. the white house has mounted a vigorous defense. hagel says his record on iran,

they ais a is three months they will allow the debt ceiling to be hiked and try to attach some spending cuts or at least say we need to be engaged in negotiations for further increase in debt hike. i think that was a recession for republicans in reality they were losing this argue uchlt. it reengineers to the point that 60 percent of americans think you have to have spending cuts right now. >> you listen to the president's senior advisor today he was talking again about a balanced approach saying whatever deal on the debt ceiling has to have tax loopholes closed. speaker boehner brought the 800 billion in loop whole closures in the beginning of the fiscal cliff negotiation that should be a part of this deal. despite the fact that the president wanted rate increase on the fiscal deal and that's all they want. >> you can see the democrats and white house believe they have the argument in their back pocket. they offered once they can call on it again if they are going to concede on any spending cuts. none have been discussed at least in the short term are going to solve the proble

don't care, in the case of the debt ceiling, whether the country falls into recession again? is that the way to go about it? >> the debt ceiling it is truth. think about this, can dirk the first time in our country. >> reminding people president himself, when he was in the senate, voted against the debt ceiling, these people that he is suggest want the country to go into default are doing the same thing when he was a senator, he changed his mind. absolutely not. did he vote against. he has spoken to that that was a political vote answered has learned from that but at the time, congress wasn't threatening to say we are not going to pay our bills unless we get what we want, deeper cuts in medicare than required or tank the economy. this false equivalence needs to stop. the barrier to progress here is not the president. we need more republicans in congress to think like republicans in the country who are seeking compromise, seeking balance, because we are poised here to really grow. if washington can do its part and not get in the way, our economies continue to grow, we can make big pro

anything for raising the debt ceiling. it's on them. if they want to take the heat for veterans benefits and social security benefits not getting to people, what game of chicken are we playing here? >> really high stakes game of chicken is what we're playing here. i had the occasion of going back and reading actually the president's first news conference after he became president, and he is talking then about his overtures to republicans and how he hopes he can create habits of good behavior. well, it's been four long years, and that was about the feistiest press conference spurred by nothing other than he just really wanted to send this signal once again. his message was i'm not backing down, and he is getting the message back from republicans that they aren't either. i think we're going to be asking ourselves which side is going to blink for the next several weeks. i don't know that -- i don't feel confident that i know the answer to that question. >> ruth marcus, thank you very much. kristen welker thank you, from the white house. >>> new york state now is the first state to

the debt ceiling when there is a republican president. but you never saw a situation in which democrats suggested somehow that we would go head and default if we didn't get 100% of our way that. is not how it's supposed to work. >> sean: i can't help but you remind that had obama in 2006 was a junior senator from illinois who opposed raising debt ceiling that. is right. barack obama scolding republicans for linking p spending cuts to raising debt ceiling himself voted against raising the debt ceiling. here is what the anointed one said in 2006, said leadership means the buck stops here, washington is shifting burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and our grandchildren. er america has a debt, and a failure of leadership. americans deserve better, i, therefore, intend to oppose the efforts to increase american's debt limit so he is doing what he said shouldn't be done. but in doing so is demonstrating his morale superiority. the second thing we saw today is on full display he said republicans were sus spishus about social security and government support for

. congress has just weeks to increase our debt ceiling. fitch, a leading credit ratings agency, says a repeat of the 2011 debt limit crisis would spark a formal review of our country's aaa rating. that could mean a downgrade by them. now you might remember, s&p, a different agency, already downgraded our country in 2011. that was the first time in our history that that happened. the president is taking a hard-line stand, issuing a warning of his own to the gop. >> we have to pay our bills. congress has two choices here. we can act responsibly and pay america's bills. or they can act irresponsibly and put america through another economic crisis. but they will not collect a ransom in exchange for not crashing the american economy. jenna: republicans like congressman jason chaffetz blasting back against the president. >> i think the president was terribly irresponsible today. to say he will not talk about it because he is above it, but blame all of congress, in part congress helped create this problem but we are going to hear to solve this problem. i got elected to uphold the constitution

words, collect a ransom by demanding spending cuts as a condition for raising the debt ceiling. the house of representatives is back in session today, too, and republicans are just as adamant, insisting they won't raise the debt limit, unless the president goes along with spending cuts. let's go live to cnn white house correspondent brianna keilar. >> reporter: president obama stating very clearly today that he will not negotiate deficit reduction, tax increases and spending cuts attached to the debt ceiling. this of course does follow that bruising battle the year before last, where he did negotiate on the issue, and the u.s. nearly went to the brink of default. he said that congress has to pay the bills that it's already racked up. >> you don't go out to dinner and then, you know, eat all you want and then leave without paying the check. and if you do, you're breaking the law. and congress should think about it the same way that the american people do. you don't -- now, if congress want, to have a debate about maybe we shouldn't go out to dinner next time, maybe we should go to a

press conference, obama blasted republicans, who want to tie the debt ceiling to cutting spending and obama says blow up the economy and risk the full faith and credit of the united states and to do so is irresponsible, the consequences of not paying our bill would be disastrous. the charges went on and on and on and made it sound like only an anarchist would oppose raising the debt ceiling. listen to this: . >> what i will not do is to have that negotiation with a gun at the head of the american people, the threat that unless we get our way, unless you gut medicare or medicaid or otherwise slash things that the american people don't believe should be slashed, that we're going to threaten to wreck the entire economy. look, i don't think anybody would consider my position unreasonable here. democrats don't like voting for the debt ceiling when the republican's president, but you never saw the situation in which democrats suggested somehow that we would go ahead and default if we didn't get 100% of our way, that's just not how it's supposed to work. >> sean: hearing that i can't help, b

view of all of them. >> of course. >>> we'll move onto the debt ceiling with the government on pace to run out of money by mid-february. >> yesterday, the president warned republican leaders raising the nation's borrowing limit was non-negotiable and congress aimed to use it as lever eventuallyiage for deep s. >> while i'm willing to find middle ground to reduce our deficits, america cannot afford another debate. not paying its bills is irresponsible. it's absurd. republicans in congress have two choices here. they can act responsibly and pay america's bills or they can act irresponsibly and put america through another economic crisis. but they will not collect or ransom in exchange for not crashing the america economy. the financial well-being of the american people is not leverage to be used. the full faith and credit of the united states of america is not a bargaining chip. >> you know, it looks like republicans are up against another wall. but they're not going to be able to get -- they're not going to be able to get, quite frankly, some things they really want, if they're serio

? that would be helpful. democrats say they think we should get rid of the debt ceiling all together because it is difficult to bum up against that. art laffer with thoughts on that. bill: will have a lot of thoughts. the nra responds in turn and the group's president will be here live for us this morning. >> we will nullify anything the president does that smacks of legislation. hey! did you know that honey nut cheerios has oats that can help lower cholesterol? and it tastes good? sure does! wow. it's the honey, it makes it taste so... well, would you look at the time... what's the rush? be happy. be healthy. martha: so it is thursday. that means we get brand new jobs numbers from the labor department. the number of americans seeking unemployment benefits fell by 37,000 last week. that is a seasonally adjusted number of 335,000 for unemployment. that is the lowest level since january of 2008, just before the recession began but this seemingly sharp improvement in the labor market may be a little bit misled leading. jobless numbers in january can be erratic. employers return to norma

washington prepares to duke it out over the debt ceiling, one said we should get rid of it all together? does ben bernanke have a point? >> the nra releases a new target practice ap for kids as young as 4. >> we have a packed show for you this morning. mike thompson joins us and greg walden is our guest. the congressman and newly crowned miss america, mallory hagen will be joining us. tuesday, january 15th and starting point begins right now. . >>> welcome to starting point. after years and years of lying to the world, lance armstrong is finally coming clean. there report he's confessed to oprah winfrey and he used drugs to win his titles. sources say he is in talks to have some of the millions he was paid by the postal service to sponsor the tour. cnn's ed is live in austin, texas. let's talk about what he told oprah and what the next steps are for lance armstrong. >> the big question will be to what extent did he confess and how much detail is he going to offer? also from the standpoint of how did he offer it and what was the body language there? lance armstrong is an athlete

. to come up with a strategy over the drama over the debt ceiling. continuing resolution and sequester cuts. one of them admits it's a tough situation for them. >> there is no celebration in the fact we are a nation of $16 trillion in debt. you have somebody in the white house that says to do the one thing that makes no sense whatsoever. that is raise the debt creeling with no change in the future. that is absurd argument. >> let's get more on the republican messaging from senior political analyst. brit hume. good evening. >> hi, bret. >> the house republicans are not wrong to seek spending cut to allow borrowing by a treasury more than $16 trillion in debt. but in politics it's not enough to be right. you need to be effective. it requires recognition that politics is a team sport and being united is critical. this is true if the party controls one house of congress and the other party not only has the other one but the white house as well. consider what happened in the recent fiscal cliff end game. taxes were set to go up by law on january 1. some house republicans said they didn't bl

debt ceiling. remember, president bush was in office at the time, so senator obama would probably be against some of the things he was talking about, particularly the debt ceiling. the senator called it irresponsible to increase the debt. listen to then-senator obama. >> the problem is that the way bush has done it over the last eight years is to take out a credit card from the bank of china in the name of our children, driving up our national debt from $5 trillion for the first 42 presidents. number 43 added $4 trillion by his lonesome so we now have over $9 trillion of debt that we are going to have to pay back, $30,000 for every man, woman and child. that's irresponsible. it's unpatriotic. >>steve: there you've got the president, back then senator, back in the day saying that president of ours, he's running up the bills, and it would be unpatriotic what he's doing. and we cannot raise the debt limit. forward to his administration, and i think this is going to be the fourth time he has asked congress to up the debt ceiling. of course what he said is, i know the republicans want to

around the debt ceiling coming up and to make this the issue, how do you think that will work? >> that's why i wonder how serious he is. i'm not questioning his motives. now he knows for the next two months all we're going to be talking about is the debt ceiling, sequestration, the continuing resolution, ending the fiscal cliff, all of these. >> you're not questioning his motives of what he's suggesting. he'd rather have a conversation about guns than the debt ceiling? >> i think the president is trying to get political support from his base, maybe he feels it strengthens him going into negotiations with the republicans or the fiscal issues. listen these guys won't even ban assault weapons, how can you trust them on taxes and spending. i see it as building up his political position which is not wrong but i don't think in his heart of hearts he thinks he's going to pass any significant legislation. >> congressman king in the studio after my asking all the time. >> i couldn't stay away from you, soledad. >> she's not really a tough interviewer is she? >> she's very nice and mult

coming under the pressure. the debt ceiling remains in focus. it is earning season. let's take a look at facebook. it is up about three quarters of 1%. it certainly has gained over the last half hour. we are getting closer and closer to the launch time. come and see what we are building. there is speculation that remains. the anticipation remains. dagen: trying to strategize on how to rein in government spending. connell: rich edson with all the details. rich: a very busy legislative day. they are dealing with this handy appropriation bill. republicans are discussing a number of different options. there is a major house republicans of that. their annual retreat takes place on wednesday. >> when does this budget balance? here is when the budget gets to balance if we adhere to these cuts. rich: republicans trying to figure out their opening position on the debt ceiling. democrats and the white house have already come out with theirs. president obama saying that he is not negotiating it. he says he is willing to talk about deficit reduction, perhaps modest reduction to healthcare sp

time it's over the debt ceiling and from the white house to capitol hill democrats and republicans are sparring over the best way to ensure the nation pays its bills and now they're taking the fight to you as both sides try to sell their point of view. president obama warning about what could happen if that debt limit is not raised. >> if congressional republicans refuse to pay america's bills on time, social security checks, and veterans benefits will be delayed. we might not be able to pay our troops or contracts with small business owners. investors around the world will ask if the united states of america a safe bet. >> the republican house speaker john boehner responding immediately to the president's remarks issuing a statement that read "the american people do not support raising the debt ceiling without reducing government spending at the same time. the consequences of failing to increase the debt ceiling are real, but so, too, are the consequences of allowing our spending problem to go unresolved." joining us is amy kremer, chairwoman of the tea party express. thanks for c

the debt ceiling and two-thirds of the republican caucuses voted for this. they want to send a message that they really, really needed it, that they want to cut spending for every doll they put out there, even on disaster relief, which historically has not been required to have an offset. >> and definitely has ruffled feathers in the last congress. all of our viewers i'm sure will rememb how new jersey governor chris christie didn't hold back in showing how angry he was at congress, the house, and specifically speaker boehner when the vote was delayed last time. listen to him. this is on january 2nd. >> new jersey deserves better than the due police tea we saw displayed last night. america deserves better than just another example of a government that has forgotten who is the to serve and why. 66 days and counting. shame on you. shame on congress. >> when you listen to that and when you listen to the house floor and sound bites before , s what you're saying why speaker boehner did what he did in the very beginning of january? >> reporter: absolutely. he took the hit. he pulled

, virginia, today, house republicans have agreed to take up the plan next week to extend the debt ceiling with some conditions. i think that's boring and uninspiring. let's go to the source of this cnbc contributor robert costa. . . i think it's boring, boring, boring. you tell why this is a great. are not attached to this proposal. very three months. let me say this, from all my reporting down there in eastern virginia default on the debt. so what they're trying to do is just punt on the debt ceiling and focus the spending cut fight on the upcoming continuing resolution to fund the government. >> i didn't hear any focus on spending cuts. and i didn't hear any focus on the sequester. and i'm looking at rasmussen polls that show me that the public wants across-the-board spending cuts. and you and i both know the republican base is hungry for that after getting hosed in that high tax bill. >> i think you're a bit off, larry, respectfully in that republicans i think want to have these spending cuts. but they're picking a strategic battle. and you could be right in saying they're picking the wrong